Everyone has a skill or something they are good at. But Sara didn’t think that was true for her.
“You will find your talent, I promise.” That’s what Sara’s college teacher, Ms. Bing, said to her when she got frustrated about her major.
Sara came from a large family. Her older brother was a runner, and he became a track coach. Her cousin made up loads of weird and funny jokes and stories that made everyone laugh for hours. She was a writer. But Sara didn’t know what her talent was. What could she do well?
It took twelve hours on a plane and a new friend that she made in Mexico to realize that she did have a talent. She was lying on a sunny beach reading a book. Her dad was nearby snoring loudly. She was about to wake her dad up when she heard somebody crying behind her. She lifted her head and turned around. There was a young boy, about six years old, sitting back from the beach. He was crying with his head in his hands. His parents were on a blanket nearby.
Sara smiled at his parents and asked if she could talk to him. They said it was okay.
“Hey,” Sara said gently as she sat down next to him. “Great day for the beach, right?”
“I guess so,” he said. “But I’ve lost my cat, Aida. She’s been missing since yesterday afternoon.”
Sara remembered when her family had lost their cat. She had been very upset. Her parents tried very hard to cheer her up, but nothing worked. Then, her cousin came over and made up a funny story about the cat. In the story, the cat had taken a vacation to visit relatives in New York. Her cousin said that the cat had tickets to see the latest musical, and that it’d be back in a few days. Sara had laughed and laughed at the story. Then, a few days later, her cat came home!
Sara wasn’t funny like her cousin, but she understood how the boy was feeling. Then she realized what her talent was. She was good at understanding how people felt! Now was the time to use it and let the boy know he wasn’t alone.
“I’m very sorry to hear about your cat, no wonder you are sad.” Sara said with a smile. “I know exactly how you feel. Do you want to talk about it?”
